Accelerator pedal holding tool



July 4, 1967 H. B. MOSS ACCELERATOR PEDAL HOLDING TOOL Filed June 28, 1965 Gil-42 L 1 H INVENTOR. HAYWARD B. M033 m wryy A Homeys United States Patent 3,329,041 ACCELERATOR PEDAL HOLDING TOOL Hayward B. Moss, 600 S. Cable Road, Lima, Ohio 45805 Filed June 28, 1965, Ser. No. 467,336 3 Claims. (Cl. 74-532) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An accelerator pedal holding tool comprising a bracket which is slidable on a rod and has an abutment extending in one direction from the rod, a handgrip extending in the opposite direction and an aperture closely fitting around the rod, the handgrip portion of the bracket also being provided with a leaf spring secured to the bracket and bearing against only one side of the rod, t-he fit of the aperture around the rod being close enough and the force exerted by the leaf spring being great enough so that the unopposed pressure of the leaf spring against one side of the rod causes the rod to bind firmly in the aperture, while manual tilting of the bracket on the rod in opposition to the pressure of the leaf spring causes the rod to be freely slidable in the aperture.

Background of the invention The invention relates to a tool for holding an accelerator pedal in a partially depressed position, and more particularly to a tool which can be preset to hold an accelerator pedal in a fixed position and which is simple and convenient to use.

Although modern automotive vehicles ordinarily are not provided with a manually adjustable throttle control in a drivers compartment, there are many occasions on which it is desirable that the engine be set to run at a fixed speed greater than the normal idling speed. This can be done by means of a tool which hooks under the dashboard and holds the accelerator pedal in a partially depressed position. Such a tool is useful when the driver starts the engine in cold weather and wishes to let the engine run for a few minutes at a moderate speed during warm-up. A warm-up is always desirable in the case of a diesel engine, and in any case is necessary when ice has formed on the windshield and it is necessary to employ the heating system of the vehicle to assist in melting the ice. If a tool for holding the accelerator pedal partially depressed is not available, it is necessary that the operator remain in the drivers seat during the warm-up period because the engine usually stalls unless the accelerator pedal is held partially depressed.

Accelerator pedal holding tools are disclosed in United States Patents Nos. 1,699,039, 2,671,355 and 2,932,504. However, the tools disclosed in those patents cannot be preset to hold the accelerator pedal in a predetermined position, but must be readjusted each time they are used.

United States Patent No. 2,866,356 shows a tool which can be preset to hold an accelerator pedal in a predetermined depressed position, but the tool shown in that patent is rather awkward and inconvenient to use.

Summary of the invention The principal object of the invention is to provide an accelerator pedal holding tool which can be preset to hold the accelerator pedal in a predetermined position, and which is simple in construction and convenient to use. More specific objects and advantages are apparent from the following description, in which reference is had to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1 of the drawings is a perspective of a device embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is an elevation of the device.

Description of the preferred embodiments The device shown in the drawings comprises a round rod 10. A rubber suction cup 11 is provided with a socket 12 into which the lower end of the rod 10 extends. The rubber section cup :11 provides a non-slipping engagement between the lower end of the rod 10 and an accelerator pedal.

A bracket 13, consisting of a flat b-ar bent to the shape shown in FIG. 2, is provided with a central aperture 14 that fits closely around the rod 10. One end of the bracket 13 consists of an abutment, preferably ending in a hook 15 which opens upward toward the upper end of the rod, to make it easy to hook this end of the bracket under the edge of the dashboard in an automotive vehicle. The other end of the bracket 13 extends in the opposite direction and consists of a handle 16 which is in the form of a handgrip.

A leaf spring 17 is secured to the bracket 13, preferably I by means of a rivet 18, and bears against the rod 10 so as to tilt the bracket 13 away from a position perpendicular to the rod. The arrangement of the leaf spring relative to the bracket 13 should be such that the leaf spring tends to tilt the handle 16 upward toward the upper end of the rod 10 to cause binding between the bracket 13 and the rod. Thus it is possible for the leaf spring to be located on top of the abutment or hooked end of the bracket 13, because in that position the leaf spring would bear against the rod 10 in such a manner as to tilt the abutment end of the bracket down and thus tilt the handle 16 upward. However, the leaf spring is less likely to interfere in any way with the use of the tool if it is secured to the lower side of the handle 16 as shown in FIG. 1.

In order to cover rough edges in the device, the handle 16 is provided with a rubber cover 19, the hooked end of the bracket is provided with a rubber cover 20, and the upper end of the rod 10 is provided with a rubber cap 21.

In a tool embodying the invention, the leaf spring keeps the bracket tilted away from a position perpendicular to the rod, so as to cause binding between the rod and the central aperture in the bracket. Once the bracket has been set at the desired height on the rod, the bracket normally remains fixed in position relative to the rod. However, it is possible to slide the bracket downward on the rod by pressing downward on the handle end of the bracket, and it is possible to slide the bracket upward on the rod by pressing upward on the hooked end of the bracket. In either case, the downward pressure on the handle end or the upward pressure on the hooked end tends to tilt the bracket slightly toward a position perpendicular to the rod, and such tilting of the bracket frees it to slide along the rod. On the other hand, it is impossible to slide the bracket downward on the rod by means of downward pressure on the hooked end of the bracket because downward pressure on that end tends to tilt the bracket farther away from a position perpendicular to the rod, so as to cause the central aperture in the bracket to bind more tightly on the rod.

In the present tool, the bracket can be adjusted very conveniently by grasping the handle end of the bracket and tilting the bracket slightly toward a position perpendicular to the rod. When the bracket is grasped by the handle end and tilted slightly toward a perpendicular position, it can be moved freely either upward or downward along the rod.

An important advantage of the present device is that in order to adjust the bracket on the rod it is not necessary to manipulate the leaf spring separately. The user merely grasps the bracket by the handle end and tilts it toward a position perpendicular to the rod, without consciously manipulating the leaf spring. In this way the user can employ one hand to hold the bracket firmly and can employ the other hand to hold the rod, while the bracket is tilted toward a position perpendicular to the rod and is adjusted along the rod.

The bracket can be adjusted to the desired position on the rod and can be hooked under the edge of the dashboard in a vehicle, while the suction cup 1 1 at the lower end of the rod bears against the accelerator pedal to hold the pedal in a position in which the engine runs at exactly the desired speed. The tool then can be removed by pressing the rod downward on the accelerator pedal to permit the bracket to be unhooked from the lower edge of the dashboard. During such removal of the tool, the bracket remains fixed in position on the rod. Thus when the tool is needed again, it is used to press the accelerator pedal downward to permit the bracket to be hooked under the dashboard. Since the bracket remains in a fixed position on the rod, the tool will hold the accelerator pedal depressed to precisely the same degree each time the tool is used.

Having described the invention, I claim:

1. An accelerator pedal holding tool comprising a rod and a bracket which is slidable on the rod and has an abutment extending in one direction from the rod, wherein the improvement comprises a handgrip on the bracket extending in the opposite direction, an aperture in the bracket closely fitting around the rod, and a leaf spring secured to the handgrip portion of the bracket and bearing against only one side of the rod, the fit of the aperture around the rod being close enough and the force exerted by the leaf spring being great enough so that the unopposed pressure of the leaf spring against one side of the rod causes the rod to bind firmly in the aperture, while manual tilting of the bracket 0n the rod in opposition to the pressure of the leaf spring causes the rod to be freely slidable in the aperture.

2. An accelerator pedal holding tool according to claim 1 wherein the abutment ends in a hook that opens toward one end of the rod, and the leaf spring is secured to the bracket adjacent to the handgrip and extends toward the other end of the rod.

3. An accelerator pedal holding tool according to claim 2 wherein said other end of the rod terminates in a rubber suction cup.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,699,039 1/ 1929 Abrahamson 74-532 2,866,356 12/1958 Elam 74-532 2,903,227 9/1959 Key 248-532 3,214,121 10/1965 Armstrong 248122 FRED C. MATTERN, JR., Primary Examiner. 

1. AN ACCELERATOR PEDAL HOLDING TOOL COMPRISING A ROD AND A BRACKET WHICH IS SLIDABLE ON THE ROD AND HAS AN ABUTMENT EXTENDING IN ONE DIRECTION FROM THE ROD, WHEREIN THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISES A HANDGRIP ON THE BRACKET EXTENDING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, AN APERTURE IN THE BRACKET CLOSELY FITTING AROUND THE ROD, AND A LEAF SPRING SECURED TO THE HANDGRIP PORTION OF THE BRACKET AND BEARING AGAINST ONLY ONE SIDE OF THE ROD, THE FIT OF THE APERTURE AROUND THE ROD BEING CLOSE ENOUGH AND THE FORCE EXERTED BY THE LEAF SPRING BEING GREAT ENOUGH SO THAT THE UNOPPOSED PRESSURE OF THE LEAF SPRING AGAINST ONE SIDE OF THE ROD CAUSES THE ROD TO BIND FIRMLY IN THE APERTURE, WHILE MANUAL TILTING OF THE BRACKET ON THE ROD IN OPPOSITION TO THE PRESSURE OF THE LEAF SPRING CAUSES THE ROD TO BE FREELY SLIDABLLE IN THE APERTURE. 